By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Same hinge family, three different door preps

If you already know a door needs a continuous hinge, the next question is which one. The Ives line has a lot of numbers, and three of them get confused more than any others: the 705, the 715 and the 711. All three are geared continuous hinges in satin stainless. All three spread the door's weight along the full edge instead of through two or three butt hinge leaves. They differ in how they sit on the door and frame, and that decides which one fits the opening you already have.

If your problem is a door that keeps tearing the screws out of the frame, start with our guide to the Ives 700 continuous hinge. This article picks up where that one stops: you have decided on continuous, and now you are reading a catalog page with six look-alike part numbers.

What the catalog says each one is

• Ives 705: Full Mortise, Full Wrap pin and barrel continuous hinge.
• Ives 715: Full Mortise, Half Wrap pin and barrel continuous hinge.
• Ives 711: Swing Clear pin and barrel continuous hinge.

Every one is listed as a geared continuous hinge that runs the full height of the opening and is sold cut to a stated door height. The catalog describes them as a common choice for schools, hospitals and other high-traffic commercial doors. That is the right place for them. A classroom, a patient room, a stairwell door that gets slammed all day: this is where butt hinges lose.

Full mortise means the hinge sits in the door and the frame

The 705 and the 715 are both full mortise. In plain terms, a full mortise hinge is let into a routed pocket in the door edge and a matching pocket in the frame, so both leaves sit flush. That is the same idea a standard butt hinge uses, only it runs the full length. It looks the cleanest, and it is the one most people picture when they say hidden hardware.

The difference between the two is the word after it, full wrap versus half wrap. I have the names and the catalog descriptions. I do not have the manufacturer's drawing of how much leaf each style carries around the door and frame, and I will not guess a dimension for you. What I can tell you from the field is why it matters: the leaf profile decides how much of the door edge and frame rabbet the hinge covers, and whether the prep you already have can take it. Before you order either one, get the Ives template or spec sheet for that number, hold it against the door and frame, and measure the prep you have. That ten-minute check beats a return.

Swing clear solves a different problem

The 711 is not mainly about how the hinge is let in. It is about how far the door opens. A swing clear hinge is designed to move the door out of the opening as it swings, so the door does not sit in the doorway when it is open. That matters on a corridor or a patient room, where you need the full width of the opening for a wheelchair, a gurney or a cart, and a door standing at 90 degrees takes up some of that width.

If clear width is your complaint, look at the 711 first. If the door is tearing out hinges, or the frame is wearing, the 705 or 715 do the same load-spreading job and suit a standard mortised opening. Do not pick on the name alone. Pick on the complaint.

Door height is part of the part number

Each of these is sold cut to a door height. The catalog lists four lengths, and the last number in the part number tells you which one: 83, 85, 95 and 120 inches. The page for the 705-US32D-83 says it plainly: cut to 83 inch door height, and the 715-US32D-120 says 120 inch. The longer cuts are for tall doors.

Measure the actual door before you order, from the top of the door to the bottom, not the frame opening and not what the drawing says. A hinge that is an inch too long does not fit. A hinge that is too short leaves the end of the door unsupported. Price climbs with length, so ordering the long one "to be safe" costs real money. The 120 inch 715 is priced far above the 83 inch hinge in the same family.

Power transfer versions, if the door has to carry current

Some openings have an electric lock, an electrified exit device or a card reader, and the door needs a way to carry power across the hinge side. The catalog lists the 700 and the 705 with an EPT option, which is electric power transfer prep. If the door will ever be electrified, decide that now. It is much cheaper to buy the right hinge once than to swap a continuous hinge on a finished door.

I do not have wire counts or amp ratings in the catalog for those listings, so confirm the specifics with us before you spec a lock that depends on them.

Installation notes from the shop

• Check the door itself. A continuous hinge carries the whole door through one line of fasteners. A door with a weak edge or a damaged frame needs the repair before the hinge goes on.
• Hang it straight. A hinge this long shows a crooked install more than three butt hinges do. Use the template and a straightedge.
• Use the screws that ship with it. Do not swap in whatever is in the truck.
• Look again after a week. A new continuous hinge on a busy door settles. Check the reveal at the head and the latch side.

If you are choosing between a continuous hinge and replacing worn butt hinges, our guide to the Ives 3CB1 and 3PB1 hinge bearing types covers when a good butt hinge is still the right answer.

Which one should you pick?

Match the complaint to the part:

1. Door tearing out of the frame, standard mortised opening: 705 or 715, after you check the template against your prep.
2. Door that eats into the clear width when it opens: 711.
3. Door that will carry a lock or a reader on current: the EPT option where it is listed.

When you are not sure, send us the door height, the door and frame type, and a photo of the existing hinge. We would rather confirm it with you before it ships than take a return after.

Common questions

What is the difference between the Ives 705 and 715?

Both are full mortise geared continuous hinges. The 705 is listed as full wrap and the 715 as half wrap. Check the Ives template against your door and frame prep before you order.

What does Swing Clear mean on the Ives 711?

It is designed so the door moves clear of the opening as it opens, which preserves more of the clear width.

What door heights do these come in?

The catalog lists 83, 85, 95 and 120 inch lengths. The number at the end of the part number is the height.

Can I get one prepped for an electric lock?

The catalog lists an EPT, electric power transfer prep option, on the 700 and 705. Ask us about the specifics before you order.

Browse the full line on our Ives page.